Chafee, the nation's only independent governor and a formerRepublican U.S. senator, was among the top-10 political figurescited by readers, according to an item last week on Cillizza'sblog, The Fix.

The list includes New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg,businessman Donald Trump, former Republican vice presidentialcandidate Sarah Palin and CIA Director David Petraeus.

Chafee on Thursday did not deny his interest, but said simply:"I'm focused on Rhode Island."

But his spokesman, Christian Vareika, had more to say the dayearlier: "The Governor is appreciative of this national recognitionof his record of independence while in Washington, including hisconsistent fiscal conservatism and his farsighted votes against thewar in Iraq and the Bush tax cuts, both of which have resulted inenormous deficits and our country's current debt crisis. However,while flattered, Governor Chafee is focused on Rhode Island andbringing job creation and economic prosperity back to ourstate."

Hostile fire in District 1

One of the two GOP candidates for Rhode Island's 1stCongressional District seat is on active duty in Iraq. But in hisabsence, a war of words erupted between the spokesmen for twocampaigns last week.

The issue? You decide.

The back-and-forth was sparked by the announcement, by JohnLoughlin's campaign, of a Sept. 25 fundraiser that the candidate'sbackers are holding for him in his absence. The news release toutedsupport from a "vast majority" of the city and town Republicanchairs in the district.

Loughlin had only $203 in his campaign account at the end of thelast quarter. Former state police Supt. Brendan Doherty, his likelyprimary opponent, had $270,232. Both want the Republican nod to runagainst freshman Democratic U.S. Rep. David N. Cicilline.

The money gap notwithstanding, Loughlin spokesman MichaelNapolitano hailed the 16 local Republicans co-sponsoring the eventas evidence that "the grass-roots support for [Loughlin] within theGOP here in Rhode Island is extremely strong and continues to growwhile John is serving his country in Iraq."

In response, Doherty spokesman Dante Bellini told PoliticalScene: "It is disappointing that these Republican chairs appear tobe throwing their support behind Mr. Loughlin even before they havehad an opportunity to meet with Colonel Doherty."

Napolitano's reply: "It is clear that Mr. Bellini is notcommunicating with his candidate.

"Brendan Doherty was invited, and appeared before the RI GOPChairman's Caucus in May. … When confronted by a couple ofquestions, particularly about his past voting in Democrat primariesand his broad Democratic support, he appeared to be visiblyuncomfortable."

Alleging that Doherty "refused to answer 'political' questions"at a recent civic meeting in Bristol, Napolitano said: "It is clearhe doesn't know the issues and is focusing on raising money whilehe prepares for the political competition."

Bellini said he saw no value in getting into "attack mode" thisearly. Bottom line, he said: "The colonel wants an opportunity topersonally engage with these people and make a formal presentationto them, not a chitchat about coming to a fundraiser or a quickhello at a sparsely attended Republican get-together."

Vintage Sundlun

In the days following former Gov. Bruce Sundlun's recent death,everyone had a Sundlun story.

Here is one from the Journal archives, involving his September1992 response to a question about how his chief of staff DavidCruise, now a state traffic court magistrate, handled informationabout then-Democratic state Chairman Mark Weiner's businessdealings with a state contractor.

Details of the long-ago incident are no longer relevant, butSundlun's answer was a classic.

His initial response: "Yes, I have already disciplined DavidCruise and have reported that I had a 'serious discussion' withCruise."

The newspaper posed a follow-up question: "What form did thediscipline take beyond a serious discussion?"

Sundlun's response in its entirety: "A serious discussion."

"Don't ask any more questions, because if you do, I'll tell youthe same thing my father told me when I asked too many sillyquestions. He would say, 'Six of one-half a dozen of another; themore, the less; the fewer, the higher; enough's enough, but toomuch is an open umbrella; yes, we have no bananas today.' When myjaw went slack and my eyes went glazed, he would turn around andwalk away."

"I suggest you do the same."

Brisk business for Alves, Russo

Few lobbyists had a busier year at the Rhode Island State Housethan former Senate Finance Chairman Stephen Alves, D-West Warwick,and former state Rep. Alfred Russo Jr., D-Johnston.

Working together as R.I. Capitol Strategies, the two formerlawmakers lined up more than $225,700 in lobbying work this yearfrom clients as different as the Rhode Island Library Association,R.I. Alarm and Systems Contractors Association and VISA.

Other clients included Care New England, the Association ofPrivate Ambulance Services, Mylan Inc. and the acronym "ALFA" forthe American Legal Finance Association.

ALFA has paid them $29,702.64 so far. The ambulance associationhas promised - but not yet paid - a one-time fee of $15,000. CareNew England has pledged $9,000 a month through the year, a total of$108,000. Mylan has paid $10,000 so far, but promised $2,500 amonth through the year, for a total of $30,000. The libraryassociation: $3,000. Visa has promised $40,000 but not yet paid,according to Alves.

Alves acknowledges wins and losses. Proposed new caps on usuryrates and fees, opposed by two of his clients, never came to pass.And the hospitals were spared new sales taxes, but unable to escapea cut in reimbursements. Same for the ambulance companies. Theirreimbursements went down, but "transportation services will in thefuture require a certificate-of-need," which Alves considers a winbecause "the more companies you have, the more out there, then noone can make any money."

Asked why he believed his clients would hire two formerlegislators as their lobbyists, Alves said: "Like anything else,why did they hire any lobbyist? … You can get the job done[for] them, and you understand their issue."

Coyne-McCoy to head spending group

Former Rhode Island congressional candidate Kate Coyne-McCoy hasbeen named executive director of the Coalition for Accountabilityin Political Spending, a group founded in 2010 to "rein inundisclosed political spending" in the wake of the U.S. SupremeCourt's ruling known as Citizens United.

Coyne-McCoy, who lost to 2nd Congressional District Rep. JamesLangevin in a 2000 Democratic primary, later worked as a regionaldirector for EMILY's LIST. She had previously been the executivedirector of the state chapter of the National Association of SocialWorkers.

In a statement issued last week, she said: "Fighting forconcrete changes in corporate policy and behavior in politicalspending is essential for improving and protecting our democracy,"she said. "It is a fight CAPS will win."

Jury's still out on voter ID law

Political analysts are still trying to decipher what RhodeIsland's passage of new identification requirements for votersmeans in the national debate over the issue.

Governing magazine came out last Thursday with its take, titled"Rhode Island's Voter ID Law: Oddity or Game Changer?" It follows astory by Stateline, a news service of the Pew Center on theStates.

The magazine quotes national Republican strategists saying RhodeIsland's law is "a messaging nightmare" for Democrats.

"The fact that Rhode Island's liberal governor, along with anoverwhelming Democratic legislature, have now supported a voter-IDbill certainly puts a hole in the argument that such proposals aresomehow a part of a right-wing effort to disenfranchise voters,"said Jamie Burnett, a GOP consultant in New Hampshire.

It also quotes Woonsocket state Rep. Jon Brien, a Democrat whowas a sponsor of the legislation, saying that there was significantpressure from the national Democratic Party to let the billdie.

"The legislation was on life support for a while … I waspressured by the leadership of the state party to recommit the billthe day of the floor vote. Obviously, I refused."

200 attend Romney's Newport fundraiser

Not all of the Rhode Island Republicans who endorsed GOPpresidential candidate Mitt Romney last week were able to make itto his Newport fundraiser.

Warwick Mayor Scott Avedisian was in Jamestown, saying he had aprevious engagement to attend. Former state GOP Chairman GiovanniCicione said work responsibilities kept him away from the eveningevent.

In all, about 200 people attended the fundraiser at the home ofLes and Carol Ballard that was closed to the media.

Rhode Island Republican Party Chairman Kenneth K. McKay IV, whohas not personally endorsed Romney but was in attendance, said thatRomney told the crowd that the nation can't afford four more yearsof President Obama's economic policies.

The former Massachusetts governor also said the president hadasked American taxpayers for hundreds of billions of dollars infederal stimulus money to keep unemployment under 8 percent, butthe rate has not been under 8 percent since, according toMcKay.

kgregg@projo.com

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